Why I Am A Member Of AACC
Introduction
I would like to share with people the
reasons why I am a happy member of American Association of
Christian Counselors (AACC).
Focus on a Relationship with Jesus Christ
Per Dr. Clinton, Dr. Ohlschlager & Dr.
Hart in Caring For People God's Way, Christian
counseling "may be defined as a triadic healing encounter with
the living Christ, facilitated by a helper who assists this
redemptive, healing process, helping another get unstuck and
moving forward on the path to spiritual maturity and
psycho-social-emotional health."
In another section, they state "Yet we would
also assert that counseling, by itself, is not enough.... we
have all encountered persons who, after years of work, are still
stuck, still oppressed. There are many people who will not
be freed without a healing encounter with the living God
through the Holy Spirit. And most importantly we assert
true freedom only comes through faith in Christ."
Focus on the Power of the Holy Spirit
Per Dr. Clinton et al., "Christian counseling facilitates a supernatural encounter between the human spirit and the Holy Spirit wherein Christ is made alive in the life of the person in a fresh and healing way."
Focus on Theology
Per Dr. Clinton et al., "We believe that
Christian counseling is largely deficient in its theological
roots and spiritual practices." They state "All counseling
and psychotherapy -- especially that which denies it -- is
deeply values-based." They then ask the rhetorical
question, "Are we doing theology well?" They advocate for
biblical theology.
Focus on Caring
In the section "Caring vs Curing", Dr.
Clinton et al. teach that though some things are helped through
medicine, and some are helped and never have problems again,
most of the problems we encounter are repetitive and
long-term. Some of these border on, or are, peronality
disorders. To believe that these are a failed faith is to
take an immature "Pollyannish" view of God. We even see
this in Romans 7 vs 8.
The Preeminent Role of the Bible
In "The Foundation and Scope of this book",
Dr. Clinton et al. state "The preeminent role of the Bible (OT
and NT) and Scriptural truth as the final authority and primary
revealer of Christ...." as the #2 source of authority. The
#1 source is the revelation of God in Christ Jesus. The
Bible is absolutely preeminent in all things. This aligns
with the statement of John Calvin: "All truth is God's truth."
It should be noted that the Bible is not
exhaustive in all subjects. Indeed, if the Word were to
exhaustively contain all of the wisdom of God, the universe
could not contain the volume. God gave us brains and
principles in the Bible and expects us to use them. It is
therefore urged by AACC that all counselors use only that which
agrees with and supports the Bible, because the Bible is
preeminent.
It should be noted that if God and/or the
Bible was sufficient for mankind, for example, why did God say
it was not good for Adam to be alone and then create Eve?
Because God wanted us to be in relationships that reflect the
Trinity.
Other Reasons
Here are some other reasons I am a member of
AACC:
- They don't insult psychologists or erect Freudian-Jungian
strawmen.
- They don't attack others.
- They don't stereotype others.
- They refrain from logical fallacies. If God is truth,
this truth should be both life to the soul and stimulating to
the mind.
- They don't spread lies.
- They don't try to disenfranchise others.
- They don't suppress evidence or cherry pick.
- They don't start counseling wars.
Conclusion
Now is the time to help people.